The present invention relates to handling the by-products of animal husbandry and processing, and more particularly to the treatment of such by-products to produce a cohesive and shelf-stable food component of an animal diet, e.g. pet food, livestock feed or a supplement.
The widespread preference for meat as a protein source, in industrialized and agricultural nations alike, has led to a highly developed system for providing meat, poultry and fish for human consumption. Substantial animal by-product or waste is generated at several stages of this system. At the animal husbandry or farming stage there is a need to dispose of animals that are deformed, diseased or suffer premature mortality. The animal by-product generated at the processing stage typically consists of animal parts considered unfit or undesirable for human consumption.
The disposal of these by-products raises two major concerns. First is the considerable waste involved, as usable protein in these by-products is lost. Secondly, the safe and environmentally sound disposal of these by-products becomes increasingly difficult as the world population increases, and suitable sites for waste disposal become scarce.
While the entire food processing industry must deal with these problems, there is a particular and increasing concern within the poultry industry. In the United States and other industrialized nations, the demand for poultry relative to red meat has increased considerably, given poultry's reputation as a low-cholesterol source of protein. In the U.S. over the last 25 years, per capita consumption of white meat has nearly doubled. There has been a corresponding increase in waste protein from animal mortality during the raising of chickens, turkeys and other fowl, spent hens, and the by-products of processing plants.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for recycling the animal by-product of a growing or processing operation, whether or not the by-product includes the complete animal carcass.
With respect to poultry, another object of the invention is to provide a process for preparing a proteinaceous and shelf-stable animal feed or pet food, using the entire avian carcass as a protein source.
A further object is to provide a food product for consumption by animals, e.g. as a pet food or livestock feed, in the form of a sterile, homogeneous, cohesive and shelf-stable matrix, based on the by-products of animal husbandry and/or processing.
Yet another object is to provide a process for dispersively mixing an animal by-product in a continuous mode and under high pressure and temperature conditions, to form a sterilized, at least partially hydrolyzed, cohesive and shelf-stable matrix suitable as a food source for animals or as a supplement to an animal feed.